Mystery Dungeon: Hero Never Meant To Be
by Kneekicker
Summary: Following the events of X/Y and Gates To Infinity, the human world is suffering from a war orchestrated by the Inferno Cult, built from the ashes of Team Flare using Rocket's funds and Galactic's technology. The pokemon world is thrown in turmoil when the village elder of Nin'ch starts receiving visions of a war that may soon reach their land.
1. Premonition of Disaster

AN: Hooray for super ambitious project I have no hopes of ever finishing but will try any ways! I don't fully plan on continuing until June, just wanted to get the Prologue out beforehand as a personal reminder so I don't forget.

I'll have to figure out how to juggle this and Larry Butz: Ace Attorney together at once. Since Chapter 1 won't start until June, feel free to offer plot suggestions. I already have something basic I plan on building upon but you are more than welcome to steer me around.

* * *

Elder Xatu grimaced. For what seems like the millionth time, she has felt the all too familiar sense of dread upon her feathers. Just a month ago, it was tolerable, akin to a bad dream. Now, it came to the point where nightmare barely described it; it was all too real. Much too real. So real, in fact, that she believed it wasn't a figment of her imagination at all.  
Upon bringing the matter up to the village residents, the caretaker Cleffairy deemed it fit to bring the matter up to the local guild hall. Deep dread passed among the villagers of Nin'ch as the vision of the human world spread about.

For three millennia, the humans and the native pokemon had held almost no contact at all. It was not uncommon for pokemon to traverse to the other dimension, ever since the great Kalosian war both worlds have always held contact, even if the humans had no means of traveling to our world. The vision of the Elder was shocking indeed, massive weapons of destruction roamed through the human lands, bringing war and ruin wherever they go. The Elder always dreaded her visions. Even if she was the prophet of Nin'ch, the sight of human upon human being massacred brought great stress upon her. In particular, Guildmaster Mienshao seemed to interpret the visions as a warning of what will soon be brought to the land on the pokemon.

This night, the faithful Zweilous remained at Xatu's side, ready at her call. As Xatu drifted off into sleep, the painful vision returned, this time of yet another massacre. Xatu braced herself of what she'll soon bear witness to.

* * *

_This time, it was a human man. Standing at the outskirts of Cyllage City, he looked onwards with frozen horror as the amplified pokemon roamed through the streets of his beloved city, their unruly 'trainers' pillaging what they could. He had to get through, to find his dear family._  
_Mounting his trusty Aerodactyl, he set forth to the skies, wary of incoming air missiles. As he slowly glided over to his house, he saw the garden engulfed in flames, Flare grunts surrounding the immediate area. There was no way he could descend, not unless he wanted to be pumped full of bullets._  
_With a silent apology, he wrapped himself in his burlap sack the best he could and signaled for his Aerodactyl to descend. Within a moment's notice, he heard the sickening sound of rapid bullets pierce through his pokemon. If not for the thick absorbent bodysuit he wore, he too would have suffered much the same._

_He and his pokemon collapsed through the roof of his house, where his dear love lay huddled in their living room, tightly clutching a bundled figure. The man climbed over the corpse of his pokemon and headed for the doorway, where he re-enforced the safety protocols on the control panel. On the other side, a booming force filled with anger exploded._

"_**Son of a whore, the bitch's locked the door again! Get this piece of shit removed or so help me!"**_

_It would seem the door would not last longer. Checking over his cracked, faded pokeballs, he frowned at the conditions of his pokemon._  
_All of them lay in heaps of blood, weeping in agony. He had installed black market software that effectively made the pokemon immortal, though the pain lingered. He had no idea long they suffered. He only kept them alive in the odd chance that he would require them again. Now that he was with his wife, he released the life support, watching his pokemon pass with their suffering forgotten. Sullen, he scuttled over to his wife, where they would stay until the Flare grunts too their lives._

_His only child stared at him with blank eyes. His body was bare, his wife having attempted to sooth his burns to the best of their ability. For the first time in a decade, he finally got to meet his son._

_He didn't want the war. He worked, so that he and his son may greet with smiles. Here, they met with tears and blood. _  
_"Why do the pokemon fight?" His son asked. _  
_"I love pokemon so much." His son said. _  
_"I want to be a pokemon so bad." His son pleaded._

_His wife let a shrill scream. Knowing his time has come, he embraced his son. One by one, he felt his back being jabbed. Within seconds, the jabs turned into something far worse, the burning sensation of metal piercing flesh._  
_Clutching his son's head, the man was shot._  
_And again. And again. And again._

* * *

Elder Xatu yet again woke drenched in sweat, eyes filled with fear. The cloth Zweilous laid against her head had collapsed to the side, soaking her bedsheets.  
With worry, Zweilous rushed over to Xatu's side. Her feathers still shook at the ruthless mercy of the humans, though she bore special remorse for the human's doomed family.

"This particular premonition, Zweilous. I fear it must be brought to Mienshao's attention. There is a matter of note I am dreadfully concerned of."  
"Yes, Elder Xatu! But if I may, who shall watch you as I fetch the Guildmaster?"  
Xatu was desperate to sort out her thoughts. She didn't particularly want the company of a caretaker at the moment.  
"It is fine, child. I wish to left in silence. There is much I have in mind."

Without a word, Zweilous set out into the dark nighttime rain, headed straight for the Guild.  
Pulling up a cushion, Xatu reviewed the events that had transpired. The human she saw had mentioned 'amplified pokemon' and 'Flare grunts'. From this, she made the connection that the ensuing war in the human world may be the works of a particular group in subject, rather than humans as a whole. She felt disgusted with the horrible mutations she saw. What she witnessed may only be best described as feral pokemon, stripped of their very being, serving as only mindless tools. If this war were to reach our lands… Xatu couldn't bring herself to imagine.

Seeing a shadow in the entrance of her hut, she opened the wood door and beckoned for her visitor to come in. With a bow from both heads, Zweilous left Xatu and Mienshao to their discussion.

"Elder, I presume you have news to bear? If so, please do share at once."  
"It was death, monstrosities unworthy of being called pokemon. The humans, their evil truly knows no bounds. I saw such that not even the vilest of this world's villains would comprehend."

Mienshao furrowed her brow.

"Do the humans have any motive, so to speak? Do they show signs of traversing to this world? Do they bear any threat to us at the moment?"  
"None. For all it seems, the war shall be staying in their lands. If I may, might I suggest we intervene on the behalf of the hu-"  
"Elder."

Xatu was cut off by Mienshao, furious at her suggestion.

"Elder, it is of no concern to us what these humans bring upon themselves. We should already be grateful that they have not entered these lands yet. Do you wish for Nin'ch and all of the world to be brought to danger? I think not. This discussion is over."

As Mienshao made her way to the door, she stopped in her tracks. Looking solemn, she turned back towards Xatu.

"At the very least, I shall see to it that precautions are taken in the scenario that the humans do invade. In the meantime, we have no part in the matter."

Xatu was lost in doubt. Is this truly just? Mienshao's words hold great truth, intervening would surely be disastrous. But should we really we staying off? Deep inside, Xatu knew she was receiving the visions for a greater reason. There had to be a purpose, never in Xatu's life had she received visions of the human world. There were instances, sure, but they have not occurred in years.

Her mind drifted off to the family. The child's words in particular had touched her. A confused soul trapped in the middle of a conflict, Xatu couldn't take her mind off.

What is the meaning of the visions?

* * *

**-Human World-**

Standing before his laboratory, a man engaged in hysteric laughter. Calming himself, he turned back to his assistant, who had managed to keep a stern face throughout the whole ordeal.

"You surely aren't speaking in jest, are you not, Grayfaire? You mean… the last little ranger maggot has been squished?"  
Grayfaire nodded, retrieving her documented reports from the Cyllage Team. The maniacal professor brushed them away, eager to hear it directly from her mouth. Grayfaire sighed, and recited the document in her hands.

"The last renegade Pokemon Ranger from Almia has been subdued along with his family. Ranger Barma-"  
"Stop stop stop! That's all I need, my sweet! Now, how about a toast in celebration? For our dear Team Flare?  
"Sir, this is hardly a 'team' now. You do realize we've basically subdued Kalos, Oblivia, Almia and are on the verge of conquering Fio-"

The professor's eyes lit up, though concealed by his thick glasses.

"You're absolutely right, my dear, we've grown! From tiny scrap of Lysandre's failure to behemoth! We need something better, what's better than flare?"  
"Inferno, b-"  
"Magnificent! Now, what's better than team?"

Feeling frustrated with the constant interuptions, Grayfaire replied with a mockery.

"How about Cult? Inferno Cult? Seeing as you're already bat-shit insane with your stupid world domination goals, it fits perfect-"  
"Yes! My dear Grayfaire, you're absolutely wonderful! But I'm not just content with conquering this world, no! I aspire to conquer the pokemon world! You may have a taste of glory on that day for being such a magnificent lady."

Grayfaire held back a smirk. The pokemon world? Old geezer's finally knocked himself out. Besides the incident of a few years pass where numerous people were knocked into a sudden coma, there has been no sign of anyone ever successfully going to the pokemon world. The incident had attracted rumors then, but even brilliant scientists couldn't discern the conditions of the various people who fell victim. One day, they would just wake up, then all was normal again.

Grayfaire sighed. Was going along with this right? Now she's mixed up with all this Inferno Cult business. She only really sided with the professor because her hometown had been ransacked and she had no choice. Whatever happens next, she swore she would have no part.

"All right! A team, B team, C team, you will now head into the pokemon world! If successful, you are to scout out your surroundings and report back!"

Grayfaire sighed.

* * *

**-?-**

"Surely, you sense it too? A disruption in the boundaries of time and space. An unwelcome force is soon descending upon this world."  
"You gonna do anything? Want to tell Dialga? You're in some doo now."  
"…Do as you wish…"


	2. Amnesia?

AN: Okay, I lied. In a manly discussion between my manly friends, I managed to come up with a overall plot for the story, with me building up meat as I go along.

* * *

A bright vortex of light. All around him, there was light. He had no shadow, he saw nothing but light behind the horizon. Occasionally the light would disperse into a rainbow vortex. Otherwise, nothing. No up, no down, no left, no right.

A disembodied voice called out. It took a moment to realize it was directed at him.

"Welcome, to the land of Pokemon." Pokemon? He recognized the word, though he couldn't remember from where. It certainly excited him.

"I will now ask you some questions." Questions? What kind? "Now, make sure to answer truthfully."

It certainly seemed the voice could read his thoughts. Good thing too, because he found that he couldn't talk. He wasn't even particularly sure of what he IS, he had no form.

"As a child, what did you idolize?" _"I idolized Pokemon masters, particularly heroes like the Kalosian champion."_

"What do you want to be?" _"I want to be… I want to be a pokemon!"_

"Oh? What kind? _"A super strong, heroic pokemon!"_

"Very good, boy! As thanks for being honest, you WILL get to be a pokemon! In fact, I think you should be… Chesnaught! What do you think?"

"_A Chesnaught?! You seem to hold fond memories of one, though you can't actually recall anything. You're not complaining though, Chesnaught was mighty indeed!"_

"Now, off you go to the land of Pokemon! There, you'll find some friendly pokemon eager to help you soar to your dreams as a hero!"

A bright flash engulfed the now-Chesnaught, as he was sucked away into the unfamiliar land.

"…. I think I pulled it off well, Professor?"

"This tiny boundary between time and space, oh! How it seems so reminiscent to the actual thing! Good thing one of the guys we captured croaked, eh?"

"Save your celebrations, Professor. Look, another soul is passing at an alarming rate. It's gone through the gate."

"What?... **SCOUNDREL! **Why didn't you intercept it?"

"It's just a random soul, what harm will it bring? Besides, you only paid me for the first one."

* * *

… A deep flash of light brought her awake. Opening her eyes, she found that she was lying in a puddle of dried blood, with the majority stuck to her mane. She was feeling pain.

… Mane? She looked around at her body, clearly surprised to see her cocoa brown skin. Her cocoa brown fluffy skin.

Trying to collect herself, she stood up. Her mind was a complete blank, nothing came to mind at all. A few paces from her, she saw a tipped basket. Seeing as she was alone in this tiny clearing, she assumed it was hers. She attempted to walk over, only to trip and bump her chin on the soft mossy ground.

Was she walking on all fours? She didn't quite feel familiar walking. After picking herself up, she paced around the basket to learn how to walk. At first, she went like a baby, carefully balancing her weight. Eventually, she gained confidence and walked a brisk pace. Soon, she ran, absorbed in her own happiness. It wasn't until she stopped for breath and giggling that she felt a pair of eyes on her.

Suddenly struck with fear, she barely held back a scream. It would seem the figure was shocked, as she soon fell from her hiding place in the bushes. She could identify the figure in front of her as female from her long, feminine green cloak. The figure was… a pokemon?

"A-ah, I'm- I'm sorry if I walked in on your uh… ah, 'leisure time'. Um, Eevee? If this isn't a good time, I'll come back later. The Elder sure was looking for you though."

Wait… she's an Eevee? Checking herself out again, she found it to be true. Lifting a paw to her head revealed very fluffy and presumably very cute ears. She certainly did feel cute after that little running spree, though having someone walk in was certainly embarrassing.

"W-wait!"

This woman- er, pokemon seemed to know her. Maybe she could learn more.

"Um… what's your name? Actually, scratch that. Who am I and where am I?"

The silence that soon followed was much too uncomfortable. Had she said something wrong?

The pokemon seemed to take it as a joke.

"Oh, another of your antics, Eevee? I guess I'll play along; nobody will ever know. He he, so, you're Eevee, I'm Snivy and we're in Nin'ch! Well, Nin'ch forest anyways." Snivy stopped to giggle. "You really thought I'd fall for that? I know you better than anyone! I even proposed to you last week!"

Wait, what? "I-I'm sorry but, I really can't remember much of anything. Ms. Snivy? Could you maybe help me out?"

Words could not describe what happened next, as Snivy quite literally burst into tears, blubbering whatever words she could.

"S-surely you're joking? _*sniff*_ I mean… I proposed to you and everything and you accepted and we started even talking about a going on a first date as a couple and maybe even someday get married and-and-and! W-waahh!"

Eevee felt a gigantic wave of guilt. Were she and Snivy lovers? It does sound like they had a little romance with this whole dating business. She honestly didn't remember if that was the case. The next few minutes or so were spent in calming Snivy down, assuring her it wasn't a break-up, that Eevee wasn't an imposter, etc. Eventually, she calmed down enough that she finally noticed the fairly large blotch of blood on her fur.

"E-Eevee! You have blood on you! Stay here!" Snivy ran over to the dormant basket on the side, where a large napkin laid along with plenty of other stuff Eevee didn't see. Snivy licked the napkin wet, and laid it upon the stained fur of Eevee, surprising her.

"W-wait! Why did you just lick the napin!?"

With a sly, mischievous grin, Snivy winked. "If this is all just an act, you'll remember my love eventually and let your guard down! And if you really lost your memory, this has got to trigger the love inside you! Either way, I'm determined to finally go on a picnic with you!"

Picnic?

"You and I scheduled a picnic in this forest after I confessed, remember? You came to look for a nice clearing and I even packed you a snack so you wouldn't get hungry!"

Throughout the trip out the forest, Snivy kept talking about the moments they shared, hoping to bring back her memories. When that failed, she started talking about their friends.

"… and there's Cleffairy! She was the one who helped convince me to admit my feelings! There's also Vulpix and Mawile and Delcatty! They helped prep me up for my awesome ice-breaker confession!"

"So… was it a confession or a proposal? They're different and I can't really tell what you're talking about."

"Well, both." Snivy's eyes glimmered. "Since, you know, you'll soon be mine anyways!"

At this point, Eevee couldn't help but wonder if Snivy was previously a stalker with a crush that had planned out their entire lives together. Oh dear, what if she had… body pillows?

Regardless, Snivy felt like a nice enough person, one that she felt safe around. Eager to learn more about herself, Eevee asked a question.

"So… why did you come looking for me anyways?"

Snivy's jaw dropped and she stopped dead in her tracks. Had Eevee said something wrong again?

"OH NO! I totally forgot! Like, Elder Xatu sent me to get you because you accidentally overpaid your taxes and she wanted to return the extra so she sent me to get you and now I went in this forest and I saw you on the ground and I wiped up your blood and you had amnesia and now were walking towards the village and the path we're walking just so happens to be my house which is on the opposite end of the village from the Elder's house and-and-Auugh!"

Snivy stopped for breath, her face red from worry. Eevee was quite surprised that Snivy could talk for so long without break, she hadn't even heard anything Snivy said apart from the taxes bit.

"Come on! You're getting Poke dollars from the Elder! YOU'RE GETTING FREE MONEY SINCE TECHNICALLY YOU HAVE AMNESIA AND IS NOW A DIFFERENT PERSON!"

With a swift motion, Snivy's tail hooked onto Eevee's forelegs and literally dragged her to the Elder's house. Eevee herself struggled to meet Snivy's speed lest she was whacked around like a ragdoll. Running on her hind legs was quite hard, as Eevee found.

Well, at Snivy was perky, energetic, cute and most importantly, nice. Eevee could certainly see how she would have accepted her confession.

"_Who knows, maybe I just might fall in love with her, given that we're technically already in a dating relationship. She's dead set on me, that's for sure."_

* * *

"ELDER! ELDER! IBROUGHTEEVEEPLEASEDON'TBEMADATME!"

"Snivy, hush! I can hear you just fine, dear."

Wow, Snivy sure was fast. Just like before in the forest, she described the events that had transpired at top record speed. Even stranger, the Elder actually kept up and understood it all.

"_Wow, guess she puts up with Snivy quite often. I'm quite envious, she's way too fast!"_

"So, you're saying Eevee here has amnesia? That's certainly peculiar, a simple stroll in the woods is more than enough for her to handle. You're saying she had blood on her? Do you have any blood for us to sample?"

"Yay! I'll get it from the clearing!"

Snivy blazed out of the Elder's hut at another record speed. It was then that Eevee realized they had somehow climbed up to the summit of the village, as all the other villagers seemed like tiny dots. She couldn't even make out the Snorlax picking berries; those things were massive.

"_Y-yikes. I-I-I b-better watch my step. Gulp. H-how will I even get down?"_

"So then, Eevee. Would you mind telling what you remember while we wait for Snivy? Oh, but wait. Zweilous! Fetch Cleffairy and Medicham!"

"Um… well, my name is Eevee, I am an Eevee, I overpaid my taxes and apparently Snivy and I are dating. Also, I uh… seem to be afraid of heights."

"Good enough start. I'll make arrangements for our local caretakers Cleffairy and Medicham to check on your health, physical and mental. Meanwhile, you shall stay the night over at the guild." The guild? What was that?

"The matter of your amnesia is of great concern, the guildmaster Mienshao will personally examine you as well. You do not remember, though our world is currently suffering from various abnormalities, no doubt courtesy of the human world."

Wow, that's quite a lot to take in. As if reading Eevee's thoughts, the Elder chirped in.

"Ah, those matters are of no concern to you at the moment. First, we must handle your situation, no? For now, acquaint yourself with the villagers of Nin'ch. Perhaps that may just trigger your memory."

Good idea! … Except it involves climbing down the stairs to the Elder's hut, which Eevee was not eager to do. What if she broke her neck from falling? Actually, what if she slipped and fell at all?

"… Very well, Eevee. You may wait for Snivy. All the better, as she can introduce you."

Huh? Could the Elder read minds or something? If so, she had better watch her thoughts.

A short while later, Snivy returned, having soaked up the blood with a white cloth. While Cleffairy examined the cloth, Medicham tested Eevee's mental capabilities.

"Now, we'll try to recall knowledge. What is the name of our village?"

"Nin'ch!"

* * *

All in all, Eevee's mind had no obvious flaw. Cleffairy had also determined that the blood's owner was Eevee herself, so Xatu deemed the incident as an unfortunate mishap. Unfortunately, Eevee still had to meet Mienshao."

"Here is the money, Eevee. Snivy, introduce Eevee to whoever possible. You are to report to the guild by midnight."

… And that was how Eevee ended up parading around the village, wearing a dress Snivy bought with the money. Even if the dress was cute, having to talk to everyone was embarrassing.

"Hey hey, Eevee! Remember Kecleon? They sell stuff, both of them!"

"Nope."

"HEY! Eevee! Remember Cleffable? She's Cleffairy's sister and she also takes care of pokemon! Children, usually."

"Eh, sorry."

"EEVEE! Remember Machoke? He builds stuff!"

"Still no."

"Hey, hey! Listen! Remember-"

"Snivy! We just talked to Hypno! He's the creepy bank guy!"

"Oh right, I forgot."

Eventually, midnight came. Eevee was a sickly purple shade, having to keep up with Snivy for the past few hours. Worst of all, she had just realized that she never ate anything. She was starving and Snivy was beginning to turn into delis-

"_No, Eevee! No eating your friend!"_

"Oh… sorry, Eevee. Maybe I should have saved some money for food. If we hurry to the guild, I'm sure they'll still have food out!"

"Who eats at midnight!?"

"Snorlax, dummy!"

* * *

True to Snivy's words, Snorlax had a giant stockpile of berries in the kitchen and Eevee wasted no time in devouring everything alongside her giant buddy. Luckily, she had taken off her dress prior to entering.

While Eevee and Snorlax were left to their bonding time, Snivy yet again described what happened to Mienshao. Snivy didn't go quite as fast, as Mienshao was particularly intimidating. She didn't want to get berated.

"So, Xatu thinks this is a mere mishap? Fool."

"U-um, maybe you could let it go this time? I mean, there's really nothing wrong with Eevee right now…"

Mienshao had a look of doubt, though she eventually sighed.

"Very well. I shall give Xatu the benefit of doubt. If Medicham declares her safe, I have no reason to doubt the truth. I will humor this for the time being. A room has been prepared for Eevee, where we may monitor her for signs of abnormality."

"So… am I-"

"Dismissed. Yes."

Dejected, Snivy exited out from the ground level door, as she couldn't climb the ladder with Eevee's dress in her hands. Remembering that Eevee had once given her a key to her house, she entered and placed the dress on Eevee's bed, neatly folding it.

"Hehe, someday, I'll be living in here as Eevee's wife! Or husband?"

Snivy still wasn't sure of what she and Eevee would be called in their relation. Nin'ch was tolerant of same-sex marriage, so she would consult someone in the morning.

"Nighty night!"

Waving to nobody in particular, Snivy winked and blew a kiss. Who knows if the house was sentient or not?

Anyways, Snivy figured she and Eevee had plenty of catching up to do. She had better started in the morning! Love awaits!


	3. A Sudden Date With Snivy

**-?-**

"… _Snivy."_

Huh?

"_Please… care for Snivy."_

"W-wait! Please!"

"_If only I had…"_

"Wait! Who are you? Wait!"

* * *

**-Pokemon World-**

A very nauseous Eevee woke up to the sound of snoring, laying on something that constantly expanded and compressed. Was that a bad dream just now? Picking herself up, it turns out she had fallen asleep on Snorlax, who was also the source of the snoring.

"Ah, you've woke. Put yourself back to rest, you ate up half of our stockroom yesterday. Certainly rare to meet someone who matches Snorlax in devouring food. I am Claydol, I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Eevee turned to the kitchen doorway, where two pokemon stood, a large gray one and a slightly smaller gray one. Eevee assumed the large one was Claydol. The second pokemon stepped up to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm Shieldon! Heard about your amnesia! And uh… pardon me but, why are you sleeping on dear old Snorlax? How'd you even get in here? We just opened to cook breakfast."

"Well, I-uh, Snivy kinda dragged me here yesterday, then I saw Snorlax eating all those berries and before I knew it I was eating them right beside him and uh… I suppose I fell asleep?"

If Shieldon wasn't surprised, he certainly was now. All at once, his eyes brimmed with fear and the color drained from his face. Behind him, Claydol just held his stoic face.

"O-oh dear! Cleffairy spent all night looking for you! What am I going to tell her, that you were stashed in the kitchen all along?"

Oh, right. Eevee… HAD been expected to report to Mienshao, right? Luckily though, it seemed Claydol had things wrapped.

"Shieldon, I already collected health samples for Cleffairy. The kitchen keys are hanging right next to the door, even labeled by a sign."

Just as swiftly, Shieldon's fear was replaced with embarrassment, his face shining beat red. He dashed from the room and Eevee couldn't help but giggle at his expense.

Her fun didn't last though. After Shieldon ran off, Claydol turned back to Eevee.

"That was actually a lie. This is just another instance of his gullibility, getting his rise is certainly a suitable pastime for me. Cleffairy is waiting inside your house."

… Eevee had a house? Oh right, yeah. She forgot that she actually had a life prior to her amnesia. Eevee's face flushed red similar to Shieldon's. Burying her face in her paws, she uttered a quick thanks to Claydol and set off…

… Until she realized she had no idea where her-

"Oh, and yes, your house is directly across from the guild. You simply cannot miss it, it's practically a stone's throw away."

"Oh, thanks, Claydol!"

Well, that was convenient. She set off for the doorway, only to be told by another pokemon named Doublade that the ground level would actually require Eevee to cut through the market. Fighting against her belly, Eevee climb the ladder up to the second floor, where hundreds among hundreds of books lay stacked on everything. Sheesh, these guys are certainly literate. There was a grand door directly opposite the door outside, along with a branching hallway on the other side of the room and next to the staircase behind her.

The thought of exploring this entire place gave Eevee thee shivers. Luckily, Snivy seemed to know just about everything.

… Say, where was Snivy? She never really got to thank her for yesterday. Even if Snivy mainly showed Eevee around to restore their relation, she still felt particularly touched. Maybe she would ask Cleffairy where her house was.

Upon stepping foot outside, Eevee was blasted by the scorching afternoon sun. After blinking out the blurs in her eyes, she made her way down the marble stairway; where her house was indeed a stone's throw away. Eevee could tell because there was a gigantic plaque on the rooftop that read:

"This is your house, Eevee! –Snivy~"

Wow, that's certainly embarrassing, having her name on display for the entire village to see. Eevee saw to her left a group of children giggling at the plaque, trying not to catch Eevee's attention. Even the adult's looked at her funny.

Yeah, she appreciated the hospitality but this took things too far.

Making sure to avoid all the gazes, Eevee silently slipped in the door, where a pink bubbly pokemon sat at the chair, anxiously waiting.

"Ooh! You're here! Come take a seat, sweetie!" Cleffairy flashed a smile, which helped ease her quite a bit. As she made her way to the second chair, Eevee surveyed the house she called home. It was certainly homely, with a nice rectangular rug spread from the entrance all the way to a few inches short of th fireplace, which was sitting dormant at the moment. The table Cleffairy sat at housed four in total, judging from the amount of chairs. Behind them, a beautifully furnished kitchen, covered neatly in a whole variety of utensils. Next to the fire stove, there was a door; no doubt the storage room. Either Eevee was a really clean person or Snivy/Cleffairy cleaned the place up.

To her left, Eevee saw a bench, with parchment, several inkwells and an elegant feather quill. The bench itself was covered in sunlight coming from the window just directly above. That probably meant Eevee only wrote at nighttime. There was also a staircase leading both up and down, though Eevee decided not to keep Cleffairy waiting. She pulled up a seat just across from Cleffairy.

"So, I'm mainly just going to do the same procedures Medicham and I did yesterday, to compare yesterday's results after a day's rest. Afterwards, we'll try baking a cake, to see if you still remember how. You always made delicious cakes! " Cleffairy pulled out several sheets of paper, all containing data. "Are you ready?"

Eevee was feeling quite eager from her cheerfulness. "Yes!"

* * *

Snivy stopped near the park fountain for a large drink, thirsty after all her rehearsals. She had to be perfect.

Fixing up her cute green dress, Snivy skipped along to the market in search of a suitable gift. After all, everything had to be just right for her second proposal. She'll certainly woo Eevee, maybe even trigger her memories along the way. If that happened, she'll be regarded as a mini-hero! And if she got rejected… she'll just pass it off as Eevee not knowing her well enough, meaning Snivy would have to spend more time with Eevee. Win-win!

After browsing the stalls for some time, Snivy finally came along to Mawile's stand. Rows and rows of house-warming gifts lay before Snivy's eyes. Her eyes fell upon a set of matching brooches, the classic heart pieces.

Mawile's eyes perked up. "Yes. Eevee likes simplicity. Good choice. Wanna buy?"

Ah, so Mawile agreed too! A devious scheme emerged in Snivy's mind. "Hey, wanna give me half price for it? It's a future investment, I'll help YOU score a date with whoever you like! Besides, I've got Cleffairy helping me today!"

Without a moment to lose, Mawile agreed. "Yes. Just remember, I have copies of house keys. I know your secret stash. Keep your promise."

Self-reminder: Rearrange house layout. Mawile is certainly less gullible now, Snivy needed to step her game up too. She now regretted having a key crafted for Mawile while she was drunk a few months back. Though Mawile was gentle, she hits hard. Snivy had better keep the promise or else she just might sack the entire place. Handing over the pokedollars, she flashed a wink, earning a timid one from Mawile in reply. Her giant jaws hissed at her.

After checking the time with other merchants, Snivy borrowed a carving knife from Machoke's crew and sat down on the park bench, engraving the first letters of their names into the backsides of the brooches.

"S… and E!"

Giving the brooches a good blow, Snivy pieced them together to see her work. The front was a beautiful ruby red, glistening in the sun. Flipping it over, the letters made up 'SE'. Snivy returned the brooches to their box and went off to return the tools to Machoke, who didn't even bat an eye. People came asking to loan his tools so much that he eventually made a sign-out box outside his shed.

Returning to the park, Snivy propped herself up on the bench and pulled up her parka hood, staying on the lookout for Eevee.

* * *

"Yay! What do you think, Cleffairy?"

Cleffairy stared at the brown cake in front of her, adorned with grapes, strawberry and honeydew. In the process of baking, the cake lost its shape and structure, turning into what appeared to be a miniature mountain. That was the only flaw, really. Even if Eevee didn't remember how to bake after all, the self-published cookbook Eevee kept in her cupboard helped out magnificently. Snivy should be inpressed.

"So, so! You licked the baking tray right? How good was it compared to the old Eevee's?"

Eevee looked reminiscent to a child about to receive one of Cleffable's treats, her face brimmed with excitement. Cleffairy supposed baking a cake on the first try within a day of receiving amnesia was fairly impressive after all.

"Fairly good! You've never used honeydew in your cakes before, Snivy should be surprised!" Eevee gave a confused look, before Cleffairy realized she had foiled the entire plot. Drat, she was never good at keeping secrets compared to Cleffable."

"This is for Snivy and me? Won't you at least have a bite, Cleffairy? You DID help me bake this!"

Oh, whew.

"Oh, I'm content with what I tasted back there. Besides, all I really did was help you find the ingredients and warn you once the cake started collapsing. You did a marvelous job of turning that to your advantage, sweetie!"

Eevee felt a blush coming on to her cheeks. Cleffairy was the first to compliment her on her skills; on what a wonderful compliment it was! It gave her a fuzzy feeling in her heart.

"So, where is Snivy?"

"Over at the park with the giant water fountain. The fountain's tall enough to see from here, so just follow it. You might also want to wear that dress Snivy placed on your bed! Best of luck!"

Walking upstairs, Eevee saw a washroom to her left, a guest room on her right and her personal bedroom down the hallway, adorned with a cute sign. A room opposite her bedroom was seemingly empty, so Eevee paid little attention. Walking into her room, she saw a tiny table on her left with a lantern and various beauty products, a wardrobe and full body mirror to her right and a plain bed at the end of the room, with a slinky yellow dress sitting on top. The dress Snivy bought yesterday, in fact. She was actually wondering where that went. She slipped the dress on and checked herself in the mirror, making sure to comb up her fur using the brush.

Waving goodbye to Cleffairy, Eevee carefully placed the cake inside her basket (which Snivy apparently retrieved yesterday along with the blood) with a knife and napkins, stepping out of the house, searching around for the fountain, which happened to be behind her house, obscured by the plaque. Eevee only realized when she saw a mail Pelipper stop for a drink.

Turning around the corner, Eevee skipped along the stone pavement, absorbing the various gazes everyone gave her. There were numerous 'oohs' and 'ahhs' which made Eevee flutter with embarrassment. Not a day ago, she had lost her memory. Now she was on a date!

Why was she even on this date? Could Eevee really have fallen for Snivy during their little adventure yesterday? Or was this just a debt being repaid? Eevee decided the best course of action would be to treat this as a FRIEND date with a FRIEND. After all, she was already feeling quite overwhelmed with what has happened.

Upon stepping foot in the park, Eevee saw Snivy perched on top of a bench, looking out for Eevee no doubt. She was wearing a green dress trimmed with gold along with a lighter green parka on top, a wonderful match with her body. The dress was also tight and if Eevee saw correctly, _partially translucent_. Deciding to take the safe approach, she walked over to Snivy, tapping her on the leg.

"Hi, Snivy! Did I take too long? I baked a cake!" Eevee put forth her best smile, bringing the basket up to Snivy's reach. "Cleffairy helped out with it!"

Snivy turned around, returning the smile. The pale evening light shone on her face and Eevee couldn't help but stare.

"Hey, you're here! You got cake? I also got us a gift, matching brooches! Wanna put them on first?"

Hey, brooches! The idea of wearing one made Eevee excited, even though Cleffairy had said she was never one for beauty. In fact, she faintly recalls Cleffairy saying that the products in her room were gifts from Delcatty, a friend of Snivy's. "Oh sure! Could you put it on for me?"

Snivy slipped off the bench and walked behind Eevee, pulling out the right half with the E. Snivy slipped the brooch under Eevee's collar just enough to be in plain view. Once done, she slipped the left half on herself.

Eevee particularly liked the coldness of the brooch against her fur. Even though she couldn't see herself, she still felt beautiful. Wearing jewelry was something she liked, it seems.

"Do-do you like it? I hand-picked it from Mawile! She's been pushing for you and me for a while, you know?"

Snivy was just so optimistic that Eevee couldn't possibly bring herself to say no. Even though the idea of dating someone she had met not a day ago gave her a weird feeling, Snivy was the type of person that Eevee felt particularly comfortable around. She still couldn't shake off a lingering feeling though, as if she's letting Snivy down. What was she like prior to amnesia? Did Snivy like the old Eevee better? Is she only doing this out of pity? What if… what if she doesn't really like the current me? What if she's only going through all this trouble out of pity? What if I'm not what she expected? The facts all contradict against Eevee's thoughts. She kept telling herself that, yet she couldn't shake it off. In an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence, Eevee made a move.

"The brooch. It was beautiful! It looks wonderful on you too! Now, do you maybe want some-"

"A-ahem! Pardon me, lovebirds, but I'm just… uh… dropping off this free edition of the daily newspaper. Not like I wanted to barge, I just wanted to go before… uh, the situation gets more uncomfortable and uh… bye!"

And with that, Pelipper flew off, leaving a copy of the newspaper on the bench. Snivy didn't seem disturbed by the interruption, so Eevee gladly took the chance to break away from her feelings.

"Well! Wanna read while we eat, Snivy? Maybe we could talk later, I made a chocolate cake, those makes your mouth dry!"

Snivy really couldn't argue that. She supposed she would just save her confession for later.

Taking their seats on the bench, Snivy cut slices of cakes for the duo while Eevee peered over the newspaper, trying to take her eyes off Snivy. A particularly large article that took up the entire first page caught her attention:

_**Mysterious Chesnaught challenges world famous Explorer Team 'Blade Justicars' to a duel alone! High Potentate Abomasnow dismisses challenger as a faux! Duel is set to commence in two days time!**_


End file.
